Educating Against Racism

Paper Summary:

The paper analyzes the causes of racism in America, and attributes present attitudes to the lingering presence of the Manifest Destiny doctrine which conquered the New World. The writer recounts her personal experiences as a black female, being exposed to unknowing forms of racism from teachers and an educational system which promote a subconsciously racist, Eurocentric agenda, one which does not recognize and celebrate ethnic diversity. The paper examines the dropout statistics, showing that the educational system best serves whites while discouraging other ethnicities. In conclusion, the writer feels that American schools must recognize student diversity so that social relations can expand beyond intolerance, myth and fear.

From the Paper:

"It has been my experience that racism in its unrecognized form occurs largely in the educational sphere. As a black female I became acutely aware of the educational gaps between white and non-white society at a tender young age. It was in the classroom that I got my first taste of institutionalized racism. My instructors never called any special attention to my race or cultural background. They never displayed any recognized racist attitudes. What the educational system did do was ignore the diversity that exists within it. It is in this way that schools perpetuate race division by teaching a "neutral" Anglo doctrine filled with the traditional white heroes. This history is rich in stories of cowboys killing savage Indians, of Texans "defending" their territory from Mexicans while it down plays the transgressions of slavery. This miseducation of minorities encourages the "denial of self and the refutation of history and culture that appear to mark . . .(minorities) . . . as outsiders" (Harris, 303). The curriculum in this sense was distorted to conform to an Eurocentric perspective. This method largely ignores the historical contributions of its colored citizens and "limit non-whites to roles as slaves, toms, coons, mulattoes, mammies and bucks; or deem them as impediments to the Manifest Destiny expansionism of the age" (Harris, 303). No thought is given to the other areas of the world past the point of white colonization. American society itself is a function of racism and lies imbedded in racist ideology. Only rarely do students hear or read of non-white people as active participants in history. It is this avoidance method that is the most dangerous type of racism. It denies that racism exists in the larger society."

More papers on Educating Against Racism:

• Argumentative Essay # 66244 : "Lingering Racism"
• Research Paper # 27674 : "Discrimination Against Blacks"
• Essay # 27689 : "Racism in the Workplace"

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